Across the Universe
by ladyunebarton
Summary: Tired of their current lives, three Gundam Pilots go on a quest to find themselves across the universe but instead they found life beyond Earth and the Colonies and it's something they really didn't wanted to find out. 1x2, 3x4, 5xS.
1. Chapter 1

Across the Universe.

Summary: Tired of their current lives, three Gundam Pilots go on a quest to find themselves across the universe but instead they found life beyond Earth and the Colonies and it's something they really didn't wanted to find out. 1x2, 3x4, 5xS.

Declaimers: I don't own anything, not even the chair I'm sitting nor the computer I'm writing on, neither the roof over my head. So don't sue me.

Prologue.

Freedom is such an interesting concept. It was something they fought for, something they safeguarded for many years, and ironically the thing they never really had since the war.

They used to flight and blow up stuff across the universe and that is not necessarily a good thing, but they were terrorist, kid soldiers with ideals so great that they won the war even if the odds were against them. They got blood on their hands but all because of the greater good. That made them real heroes, proud of bridging peace in every corner of the universe. But all the good stuff, the legendary stuff gets an ending.

Somehow they ended with so many responsibilities, so many burdens and chores that came with living normal boring lives, that Freedom was actually the thing they lost when the war ended.

This may sound subversive, because they were the famously know Gundam Pilots, and they couldn't be saying that peace was boring as shit and not so valuable after all. But they kind of did think that at some point of their various boring lives.

Of course Preventers took it the wrong way after they got wind of these thoughts that may or may not been confessed drunk on a party. For all we know, it could be a just a rumor gone wild, but they knew, they knew that there was a very good chance it did happen. It could be that time Heero was drunk on the preventer's annual party or maybe Trowa in that Pub after work. Duo did say something like that on his son's birthday and he wasn't drunk. So maybe it was all of these times, or just the one. We don't know.

They got fired anyway.

Four years ago.

Now you may think this was for the best, if they hated the work they did so much. But now, they had nothing at all, maybe except their wife's. And that was not good either.

You see, Heero married Relene as was expected, but as it turns out; they weren't really cut for each other. He had way too many demons in his past, and she was a tight society bitch. You have to born in this aristocratic life to really want it, and he was a soldier and nothing more. They had an only son.

Duo instead married a soldier like him, Hilde was all he thought he needed, Howard actually said to him that been a good husband makes up for any sin. So he got married with hope and love and stupidity. This story is sort of complicated, once she left him, then he left her and so on for years, they had a son at some point too. Maybe they were too much alike.

Trowa on the other hand, well…, he never married, or had a girlfriend, or meet a real woman for the matter. Almost like he was waiting patiently for someone.

That someone never did make up his mind and instead married his work, his company and his thousand nephews. But Quatre Winner was a mystery to them at that point. To him, nothing was wrong on his friend's lives; he was blind to his sufferings and always got good nights of sleep.

Wufei married Sally, had a daughter whom he named Nataku and a son she named John, he's still married, still a great father and now a Commander in Preventers. Out of the five, he was the best adapted to civilian life. Figures. Nobody would have believed that if you'd said it in 196 AC.

So actually our story began with these three losers. They got evicted and ended living together in an old house. Trowa's by the way, a gift from Quatre once upon a time. But he never fixed anything so it was a fucking hole. Had an amazing hangar though.

They had Relena's money; because she thought her responsibility to give Heero a pension, because to her, money could mend everything. They had some of the money Preventers gave them after their dismissal. Money and too much spare time it never is a good idea.

Freedom. Yes that why we began this talk. Well….

They thought that Freedom could be constructed. They had Gundams in the past, weapons' I give you that. But weapons' that could move around space with such liberty, it was almost like a Waltz between the stars. Machines so big and so heavy on gravity but so beautiful and carefree wandering up there.

They had the knowledge passed by their mentors; they actually had degrees in physics by Preventers. They had PhDs by universities and other amazing titles. (None of that got them working again).

Liberty, how to construct one's liberty?. Well they had everything they needed. Time, money and knowledge. Why the fuck not?.

It was a Sunday while listening to rock and roll on the radio; it was an autumn's bright and orange day, leaves keep dancing in the air conducted by the roaring wind that got out of the motors heart. Silence as their main companion because it was an understament that Trowa and Heero were quiet by nature.

"It's done" said Duo while nodding to their creation. "The Liberty is finished"

"Hn" said Heero with his intense stare to the ship.

And it was. The Liberty 1, deep space ship, was finally done. And it had three stupid and brave pilots waiting to board and lost themselves forever in Freedom.

See ya next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

+1+

Duo got some Cuban cigars from the local store and he shared them, the foggy cloud took over the kitchen, Trowa had to close his only visible eye a couple of times because the smoke got into it.

"Ya know, if any of ya wants to back out its best to do it now" said Duo while playing idle with his cards.

Trowa and Heero considered that for a few moments like always, so the silence stretched.

"I'm still in" Heero said with his calm and deep voice. "Nothing to lose"

"Yer son, for one thing" answered Duo frowning. He never liked that Heero was so detached from his own son. Or so it looked because he never wavered in his decision to let him behind to go explore the universe.

""I never had a father, I grow up fine"

"Well that I can argue" said Duo with a smile. "Mister big divorce scandal"

"My failure in marriage had nothing to do with I having no parents"

"I disagree" said Trowa with solemn expression.

"And you had that man, Odin, he was like your father, you don't know what it's like to be an Orphan"

"You often talk about Odin like he was my father figure, I should have realized how wrong that statement was. Get in your tick head Duo, Odin was nothing like a father; stop having envy of me having an assassin rise me" Right there, Heero said more words than he had all day. "He was a murderer and nothing more"

"Well excuse me, but I had nothing at all, just other orphans that keep dying and then more people that keep dying too"

Heero fixed his gaze on Duo. "I'm sorry, I am, but really Duo, he was not my father or nothing like it. And I grew up a fine man. Kenji will be fine, he has his mother and Pegan and even a Grandmother, and he has an uncle and aunt. He doesn't need a father"

"I think the one having second thoughts, it's you Duo" said Trowa taking a big gulp from his beer, but his gaze was fixed on his own cards.

"Well yeah…" he said. "I was thinking in bringing Jr. with me." The braided man put his cards over the table with a final '_tud'._

Heero softened his gaze immediately. "You know we can't, you know it's dangerous, four years ago you said so yourself"

"Yes but, he's my son…"

"You can stay Duo, nobody is forcing you" said Trowa.

"It's just…" he drifted mid-sentence.

"I know" said Heero. "I'm not a heartless bastard, I love my son in my own way, but he doesn't need me anymore. Soon, they will be our age when we became terrorists. If we could survive a war at that age, I'm sure they will be fine now with their mothers"

"Yeah…" Duo said smiling, "We can still talk to them right?"

"For a few years, I think" said Heero nodding. "If it works"

"Yeah, if it works"

"I pity you, all teary because you want to keep your babies" mocked Trowa raising his glass.

"Well, well" said Duo smirking. "Says the dude that never got laid"

"I got laid plenty of times"

"I meant with a woman"

"I had women"

"I meant a real one"

Trowa frowned. "¿What for?, ¿to cry when they divorce me?. ¿To had children that I am abandoning anyway?"

"Ouch, Trowa my friend, that hurts" mocked Duo.

"We could have avoided all of this" said Heero. "If we were all gay"

Duo snorted with mirth. "Ye mean, like if Quatre were more gay and accepted himself, and Trowa were more so, that he was the one in drag instead of the women he's had, or if ye and me had a relationship and married each other" something stuck in his throat for a micro second. Nobody noticed "And if Wufei were so gay, so gay that he used a mustacho macho"

Everyone laughed, because that's the one Wufei currently had. His sense of fashion was always off. He seemed to think it made him look older than he was, he thought that because he had an older wife and had a Commander title he needed one to reflect his authority.

"He looks so stupid" he keep laughing.

"He is stupid" said Trowa with a small smile. "Think I am going to miss his stupid face and boring moral speeches"

"We are tango down, we lost two men" said Duo with a hand over his mouth.

"Contingency plan on action 02, continue mission as ordered, fill flanks" answered Heero with his best impression of mission mode.

"Ye think we are going to make it?" asked the braided man. "Those two empty places are kinda hard to forget"

"Nobody to fill their shoes, nobody can" said Trowa.

"Have ye told Quatre we are leaving?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, he may try to stop us"

"Ye had to tell him, Trow, ye had to, its not….right"

"Stop nagging Maxwell, you haven't told your ex wife, and neither have you Heero"

"Ye, but this is different man. They don't care anymore. I'm sure Quatre does, he may care if ye suddenly disappear"

"I'm tired of having this conversation over and over with you Duo."

"You two always have had the hots for each other. I don't understand how come ye haven't screw each other yet. I'm sure ye could shut his fucking little mouth, tied him to the bed and fuck him silly, I'm sure he would fight, but yer bigger"

"That's called Rape, Duo" said Heero frowning severe.

"Oh come on dude!, Quatre's been begging for that for years!. The hell with his fucking religion views. He may try to be a saint, but he aint one. He keeps getting WEI bigger and bigger. Evil Corporation bigger"

"I don't think you are the best adviser, but thanks anyway" said Trowa with sarcasm. "I'll tell him when it's too late for him to do something. He can't keep me forever waiting as his best friend. I'm tired of him, I'm tired of this twisted relationship. ¿Did you know everybody calls me Mr. Winner too?, people all over the place think we are married and we don't even live together, if he doesn't want to look gay he has to work harder "

"And running away is the best option for this?"

"We all are running away from something, we made the decision. Stop mothering me"

"I'm just trying to be certain we aren't gonna regret this in the end."

"If I stay with him, he will break my heart piece by piece. Not having him the way I want drives me crazy, I prefer to miss him, it's less hurtful and more human"

"I won't say anything from now on" said Duo with a helpless look.

"Thank you"

"It's settle then, we leave this Friday, do whatever you want to do in your last week on earth" said Heero with his deep voice. He was in command of the mission again.

"Thank you captain Yuy, I think I'm gonna fuck everything that stands on my way"

"Sounds like a plan, can I go?"

"Sure, sure, we can get some men in drags for Trow too"

"Just make sure they are clean Duo, not like the last time" said a very serious Heero.

Duo laughed imminently. "Man, I love when you crack jokes with that face"

Heero composed a small smile.

Trowa felt weirdly excluded and he felt envy. Those two were as Duo put it, hot for each other. They just didn't know it yet. But the cold, empty space, and the fact they were sharing the room again, this time maybe for the rest of their lives. Best Friends my ass. They will be fucking as soon as they leave the ground, he knew.

That sounded unfair. This decision would be harder for him; they had each other's arms. Leaving earth and leaving their sons. That was just fucking selfishness on their parts. They wanted to be together. If he could tell Wufei about this, he would be betting with him on this matter.

Trowa was just tugging along because he had nothing.

Nothing.

Not an Ex wife. Not a lover. Not sons or daughters. Not even a dog.

Just a fake sister who haven't called in years because he decided to give his life for Mr. Winner, and she was so mad to ever talk to him again.

Sometimes he just felt like a toy they both wanted around all the time.

+2+

"I made this for you, and one for Duo Jr too. But you know this is not a toy." Said Heero to his son.

The kid nodded with a serious expression. He knew better, he would never broke any of his father rules. Duo Jr on the other hand.

"You better pay attention Jr. This is important right?." Said Duo with a small smile to his own son.

Both kids weren't that far from each other. They enjoyed the joys of fatherhood together. And the four of them became quite closer friends. When the kids were smaller and things were still fine with their wife's, they often took the kids fishing and doing all the stupid things Duo thought fathers did. He on the other hand, taught the boys how to safely use a gun among many other survival stuff.

They knew when he was being serious. This was one of those times. Maybe Kenji was losing a father, but Duo Jr would be too, they could build something like what he had with Duo. That was his hope. But he still trusted more in Kenji to be the mature one. Some apples never fall far from the tree.

"¿What does this button do?" asked Jr with a toothy grin.

"Don't push it" said Kenji frowning his little face. Big blue eyes open. "You need to read the manual."

He pushed both little hands away from the black box and then proceeded to build the antenna with the precision one does a sniper rifle. When he was a kid, he used to do it with the rifle, he keep remembering those things about his own childhood. He supposed it was part of having sons.

"This battery it's supposed to last for 26 years. But if it ever fails before that, I leaved the voltage open for upgrades— I'm sure you won't find any trouble trying to fix it."

"Hey!, What about me?!, I'm gonna be an engineer!." Exclaimed Jr.

"Son, let the nerdy stuff for this dudes" said Duo with a smile. "Believe me, it's easier"

"Geeks, geeks!"

"My father is not a geek" said Kenji. "He can build stuff, and he hunted that bear that attacked us. Your father was hiding"

"My father is not a coward, he's…just…him.."

"If my memory does not fail me, you were two little crybabies. I was the manly man that saved you and took you to safety. I let Heero shot because someone had to change yer soggy dippers" grumble Duo.

"All of you, shut up" interrupted Heero. "Listen up"

Duo smiled, he always found terrible stupid when Heero used that tone with their sons. Once Captain Yuy, always Captain Yuy. Even after four years away from anything remotely similar to military training. Kenji and Duo Jr. found that endearing, sometimes they never listened to no one but Captain Yuy.

Not everything was bad.

They could take these memories with them. The preventers kids troupe they formed with Wufei's sons always won in the family boot camp.

"This box is the only communication device that can catch our signals across the universe. We don't know for how long it's going to work out. You'll be able to hear our voices over the com, and accesses our status archives."

"It doesn't look like it does much…" said Jr.

"It's rudimentary; it will only work with the mics on the ship. Now, we have one on board of the ship, so if you ever want to send a signal, you had to connect your own mics here and here and we will be able to hear you, but please, this is not a cell phone. Don't call for stupid things."

Both kids looked sad after that.

Duo tried to cheer them up saying "You know, this is only sound, but we can send files and letter too, that ones can be longer"

Heero looked at him and frowned. He doesn't want to receive big files over this device because it was so delicate and complex that anything could broke it.

The space between earth and the colony's had multiple antennas floating and sending lots of signals. But beyond the recently build Mars colony, there was nothing.

This meant this weak signal had to cross this noisy barrier of thousand other signals and try to research them so far away. Big files would do this so much harder. But his heart was broken looking at their kids.

"¿Why do you had to go?" asked Kenji.

Duo tried very hard not to cry.

"Once upon a time, we came to earth like stars. It's time for us to go back up there. Something in our hearts calls us back to space. We belong there. You should be proud, our mission is bigger than anything humanity has done" answered Heero.

"¿What do you plan to find up there anyway?" asked Jr.

"Peace in our minds…" he said. Because it was true.

Even if they had good memories, there was a terrible truth hidden inside them. They still were blood thirsty killers and hunted for those violent demons. They grow up in a world of death and destruction, a world that didn't exist anymore. Peace did not plan to have them in.

They knew very well that but never talked about it openly, not after the whole Preventers fiasco. They failed the trust test, so they got fired, but they weren't on the black list of suspects yet, and they wanted to remain low profile.

Once they got all sorted out with the kids, Duo took Jr back with his mom. Besides even if he loved expending time with his friends, he wanted to have quality time just the two of them. Maybe for the last time he keep reminding himself.

"You know Jr, Kenji is way too much like his father, the quitter one, but also the brains. You should always be a good friend to him. You know why?"

His son said a little insecure no for an answer.

"Because they need someone to remain them to feel compassion, they are very intelligent and sometimes they feel alone. And that makes them angry with people. They treat people like they are idiots and sometimes they make those persons feel bad about themselves. They need a good friend that can teach them to be funny"

"That's what you are to uncle Heero?" asked Jr.

"Yes, he's been my very best friend for years now. Took me years too, to open him up, but its been worthy. Because, you know….we need them too. We need someone that can think rationally and help us cold our heads. We are very passionate people. Make that double for ye son. Yer mother always had fire coming out of her damn mouth"

"It's ok, I think Kenji and I will be fine. Maybe we could make our own ship some day and search you out, that can be our adventure"

"Sure could" said Duo with a smile. "I've made many mistakes in my life, but ye sure are the best"

"yeah, yeah, your condom broke and mom got preggers. I gather that. You'd been saying that since I remember."

Duo laughed and then gave a smack on his son head. "Little smart ass"

+3+

"What the fuck do you think you are doing?" Asked Trowa with ice on his voice.

"W-What?" asked Quatre over the vid phone.

"Not you Quatre, I'm talking to Triton. Hey stop that!."

The kid was opening one of the compartments under the ship, the window was open so his quite reply could be hear but not enough to Quatre to listen.

"The ship is finished, I wanted to take a look to the thrusters main outer computer."

"You don't have permission to that kid, you know you came here to tend the garden"

"I know, but this is much more interesting than your plants…"

Trowa glared to the kid, and the kid glared back just as easily. Damn kid, he thought.

"What is he doing this time?" Asked Quatre with a small smile.

"Nothing, taking apart my car again"

"You know, maybe we could get him an scholarship to study to be a mechanic"

"I don't really see the point. The kid is a disappointment, besides I could teach him far more than any fool could. But more importantly, why do you care?"

"Well…" said Quatre with a smile. "He looks up to you a lot. I think he admires you."

"Yeah?," he asked frowning at the kid that keep pulling cables out of the Liberty. Damn kid. "I don't care Quatre, he's not my son"

"You are like his father you want it or not"

"I'm not his father, he's a bloody orphan that keeps coming to my house to wreck my car, steal my books and eat my food. He's a little punk, that's what he is"

Quatres gaze softened. "You want to sound like a punk yourself, but I know you aren't. You took him out of that slave camp, you gave him a name, you were there when he went to the orphanage, and you took him out too when he was mistreated, you got him in a foster home near your house, bail him out when he gets arrested"

"Yes, but he's proved himself to be just a waste of time"

"You don't really think that"

"Of course I do" he said looking at Quatre again. "Stop telling me what to think"

"You should adopt him" said the blond man with a hard voice. "Maybe if you did, he would stop ruining is life, maybe both of you would"

"Why don't you adopt him?" asked Trowa. "I know you give him money from time to time"

"I can't, not yet, I have to had my own heir first"

Trowa laughed and muttered a quite ' Yeah, right'. Then he said "Well, since we are on this matter anyway, should anything happen to me….say…I die…or…disappear"

Quatre looked perturbed for a minute like he couldn't imagine that ever happening.

"Would you keep an eye on him, you know because he needs someone to take him out of jail and to stop him from using drugs and the drinking and smoking and stealing?"

"Well….you don't have to ask me really. I care about him just like you do."

"I don't care about him. I just have this debt to society; I took him out of the slave camp and let him loose on the city. It's my fault really, he was well trained in that camp, and he was silent, obedient and got hit. Best discipline he's ever had"

"So?, It's not his fault, he's a very troubled youth, don't tell me you agree with Wufei about sending him to the Preventers Recruitment program"

"Well, that certainly would straighten him up"

"Like those mercenaries did to you?, what did you say, straight you up?"

There was an awkward pause. Trowa turned his back to the phone; instead he looked outside trying and failing to not feel hurt.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't say that"

"No, shouldn't. But you did anyway."

"Look, I'm sorry about that, and I'm sorry our movie night got cancelled. But I will call you Saturday night and see you next week, all right?" said Quatre with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Yeah, sure…"

Quatre hung up and the line went dead.

"But you won't find me anymore Quatre, not for another phone call to tell me our movie night got cancel another week. Like the week before, and the one before that one. Silly man, we haven't seen each other in three months. You still call me to let me know. I wonder if you are aware of this game of yours"

"Of course he is" said an intrusive voice; he turned to see the kid standing in the doorway. "He knows all about your dirty style of life, he just doesn't want to lose a good friend. He doesn't love you, not the way you do"

He grunted in agreement and opened the bottle of Whiskey on the desk.

"So…" said the kid looking at the books on the shelf. "This spaceship of yours, it's built for a five men crew"

"Yes"

"Kinda cramped for five, but good enough for four"

"Kid, I thought they taught you to do simple maths in school, it's only the three of us"

"Take me with you…"

Trowa smiled a little about that.

"Ill helped, didn't I?, I worked in that ship just like any of you did. I even make improvements, Duo said so himself. I helped Heero programming and testing the system. They both said I could make a good Gundam pilot"

"I can't take you. You are too young, you have a life ahead of you, and you don't deserve to spend the rest of your life with three old crazy faggots."

The kid looked at him right in the eye and said in a quiet voice. "Please, don't leave me"

"I'm not your father, and you know that"

"Yes, but you are the only thing I have, if you are gone, I don't have anyone. Nobody cares about me. I'm just an underdog. If you leave me I'm going to end dead or in jail"

"Yes and that's because of your stupid decisions, not mine, I'm not responsible for that"

"Please, I don't want to be alone ever again. You can't leave like that, I want to be wherever you are; it…it makes me feel safe. You know I can't sleep if you are away, I hated when you'd go to see your sister to the colonies and didn't take me with you. I hate it, I can barely live with those nightmares and that's because I know you are at the end of the street. I know that you can save me, just like the first time in the slave camp and then from the orphanage, the streets, the drugs, and the jail"

"Kid…" he said with a tired voice.

This final week was proving to be a nightmare of sentimentalism and heartbroken goodbyes. And he was yet to talk to Catherin.

Even if he wanted not to have feelings for the boy, he did. He was after all, the little five year old boy he took in his arms. His little hands wrapped around his neck, his body trembling from cold and sickness. Burned and scarred, and blue from the faint shadows of fists and whips.

He was so angry that day, that he killed three of the suspect's right on the scene. He was so upset after the case, that no amount of alcohol could cure him. Une was not happy with his actions and got him suspended, and Wufei send him to the psychiatrist. He keeps visiting the boy in the hospital and he named him legally.

He wanted to adopt him. He really did.

But even if being gay wasn't a problem those days, being single was. Nobody knew about the adoption fiasco. He wanted Triton to be his son, but he couldn't get the approbation of child services. That frustrated him to no end. He kept track of the kid and he pulled some favors but never could really adopt him.

Even when he joked around, he did love the kid. He loved him dearly like one does a son.

"I had no idea you felt like that…" he said moved. Because really, the kid did everything in his power to get in trouble and that included making him angry.

"Please, please take me with you…."

He tried to say no, he tried to find reason why not. Triton was not an adult yet, so taking him would be kidnaping a minor. That was a good reason. But this was his damn son, even if the fucking system never approved it.

He made lots of mistakes, he never got a family of his own, but Triton…he was…he was his only family in the end. Not Catherin, not Quatre either.

"All right…you convince Duo and Heero to take you with us, and you are on"

"Thank you!" the kid beamed. "I'm so excited, I want to see space, I want to learn everything you know. And I want to be a great pilot. A Gundam Pilot."

"yeah…why not?" he said.

Author notes.

So…Yeah, I have like 3 readers and that's fine with me. I mean, it's more than I was hoping for. I know it has errors. But as you may notice English it's not my language. I'm learning to write again. Please be patient. Also, you may notice that Triton and Duo Jr are around. But they aren't the ones from Frozen Teardrop. Naming his son Duo Jr it really is something Duo would do, I think. And Trowa, he likes the name Triton because of the brother his fake sister lost.

Leave a review and be happy.

See ya around.


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